A bot is a computer program that automatically retrieves or updates wiki pages when it is executed. In general, bots are used for repetitive maintenance tasks, whose volume and characteristics are too large to be performed manually by users.

Developing and executing bots is normally outside the role of normal users, requires programming experience and must be done in coordination with the wiki's admins.

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Bots do not access the wiki through the normal graphical user interface. MediaWiki has an API (Application Programming Interface) available for this purpose. An API is a protocol for standardized communication between two computer programs. Check API:Client code for more information.

To access a wiki through the API a bot must have a user account, which has been granted 'bot' permissions.

wiki-java is a lightweight Java framework for bot/application development and can be used to perform various tasks, such as uploading files, adding text to articles, parsing templates, basic I/O, etc. The library also comes with simple, but powerful standalone bot methods that can be readily utilized by a programmer.